Open courses: how to make money in this fast-growing market?
Check out 3 options to enter this market and make money out of it!
Check out 3 options to enter this market and make money out of it!
Open courses have become very popular all over the world, and in fact its popularity has been growing steadily. That’s mostly because they present several advantages for students today who look for inexpensive, effective options to specialize in specific areas, without having to go through bureaucratic means.
You’ve probably already taken a free course at some point in your life, whether to learn some skill from scratch, to delve into some field you hadn’t studied before or even to develop a new hobby.
That is why this type of education has also attracted the attention of entrepreneurs and those who want to start their own business without having to invest a lot of money to start.
In this post, we’ll show you some interesting facts about this market and we’ll give you some tips to make money by creating your own course. Are you ready?
Open courses are those that offer training outside the traditional academic field, that’s to say, without the formalities of traditional teaching. For example, it isn’t necessary to take a university entrance exam or to do SATs in order to enroll and take classes.
This type of course is not validated by the Education Department (ED) and generally doesn’t offer a diploma when the student completes his studies. However, this isn’t necessarily a downside.
On the contrary, many students opt for this alternative due to a number of reasons:
Another factor that leads young people opting to do open courses is that the current job market is increasingly valuing candidates’ skills instead of a traditional diploma.
Of course, professionals in some areas, such as medicine, law and engineering, still depend on university diploma to be able to practice their profession.
But in other cases, college is not always a prerequisite: aesthetics professionals, chefs, language teachers, marketing professionals and software developers are just a few of the examples of jobs where it’s possible to get the knowledge from free courses and you can become very successful in the market.
Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, once said that he prioritizes skills when hiring, not the diploma. In a 2014 interview with AutoBild.tv, he stated the following:
“Today, having a college degree is not a synonym of employability. When we look at the market, we see that demands arise in more technical and specialist areas. Those qualifications have been the ones that have generated more jobs. ”
Moreover, even those who have higher education diplomas can benefit from free courses, either to deepen a knowledge, to give a “boost” to their CV or to simply explore a new activity.
And we can’t forget that it’s not just young people and the ones who are looking for a job that take free courses. In fact, anyone can opt for this learning method to achieve their goals.
Children, teens and the elderly can also benefit from the advantages of this type of class, and they even represent a large share of the students who study in this context.
Considering it’s a more informal form of education, open courses don’t have a fixed format: there are free and paid, short and long-term courses for beginners and experts, for children, teens, young people and adults, both in person and at a distance .
However, there are some niche markets that are the most sought after and they can be a good choice for anyone who wants to undertake that job. Shall we see what they are?
Language courses are probably the most popular when we think about free courses. In addition, there are several prestigious schools in the market that offer this type of service, with different plans options and methods.
A great advantage of language courses is that there is a diverse audience and a very high demand, after all, several languages can be studied, people of all ages are interested in them and they have several goals. Some of the most common options are:
Free cooking courses are also on the rise because they can appeal to a variety of people: those who want to have a business in the gastronomy niche, those who wish to use the art of cooking as a hobby or, even, those who want to learn the basics simply to prepare meals themselves.
There are infinite micro niches in this category, since there is no lack of options when it comes to food, isn’t it?
Therefore, we’ve selected some of the most relevant ones today:
The beauty market is one of the fastest growing in the world. Therefore, open courses in this niche are always in high demand, mainly by those who want to work or to become and entrepreneur in the beauty segment.
As mentioned in the other topics, there are several options available and among them we can mention the following:
Free online management courses are popular among professionals who want to specialize in the field and among those who wish to acquire new knowledge to move up the career ladder.
In addition, there are also management courses aimed at people who want to improve the way they manage their personal finances, for example, and for those who are venturing into the world of entrepreneurship.
Check out, below, some of the most sought after courses in this segment:
There is no doubt that, increasingly, professionals need to master different tools and computer software to achieve success in their careers.
That is why free courses in this area attract the attention of those who wish to stand out in the job market and include something useful in their cv.
Within this segment, there are different courses that cover all levels, from beginners to advanced students. Here are some of the most common:
In addition to all the examples mentioned above, there are other areas that are worth investing in if you’d like to work with online teaching. There are infinite possibilities within several segments, such as the following:
Beyond a shadow of doubt you have a specific knowledge that could help other people develop themselves in one or more of the areas we’ve mentioned.
Now that you already know what free courses are and which are the most sought after segments, let’s get down to business: how to take advantage of this teaching method to make money?
As a matter of fact, there are three possibilities for those who want to work in this area:
Let’s go over these options.
Working as a teacher hired at a school or institution that offers free courses is probably the fastest way to work in this area.
See below the pros, cons and how to get started:
Advantages:
usually involves either a formal contract or as a freelancer.
Disadvantages:
Initially, you will need to have in-depth knowledge of the niche in which you want to work at and a well-done, clear and organized resumé.
To get a job in this area, look for open positions in newspapers or online portals and participate in the recruitment processes of your interest.
Another option for those who want to work in the area of open courses is to set up a school of their own. This is a more targeted alternative for those who want to have a business of their own and that also has positive and negative points. See also:
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
How to begin:
Opening a school is a complex, multi-step task, and it would be necessary to create a specific post to address this topic alone.
But to start with, our tip is: search the internet for some information on the subject, on
reliable sites, before you actually make a decision.
Last but not least, is the option to create open online courses. This is a great alternative for those who can’t invest too much money, but still want to have their own business and scale their sales.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
How to begin:
Starting an online course is not a difficult task, but it requires planning and dedication. Some basic steps you should take to create video classes are:
As you may have figured out, investing in open courses and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is well worth it for anyone who wants to work with education and act in a segment that is steadily rising.
If you have an expertise that can help other people and if you want to be a teacher, focusing on this teaching method can be the key to your professional success.
Here at Hotmart, we work daily with several digital entrepreneurs who were able to make teaching online courses an opportunity to have a solid business and, more than that, to make a living out of their passions.